The Courting of Aomine Daiki
by Crumbs85
Summary: A guide and love story on how to successfully make unromantic, insensitive, jerk-ass, gorgeous bastards love you, by Kise Ryouta. AoKise
1. Chapter 1

**The courting of Aomine Daiki**

A guide (and love story) on how to successfully make unromantic, insensitive, jerk-ass, gorgeous bastards love you, by Kise Ryouta. (AoKise, or Kise/Aomine)

* * *

**_Prologue_**

_**(Asking Aomine Daiki out)  
** _

"_Spit it out Kise," Aomine drawls, and Kise Ryouta realises that he's been fixated on his own sweaty palms and the dull thumping of his heart for at least a minute now. He can't help it though; his palms are so sweaty, like slippery, wet things - like sea-lions or seals or perhaps something slimy like frogs - 'Gross,' Kise thinks, 'my hands are frogs' - and his heart is thumping dully and loudly like the incinerator behind the McDonald's near his home, and his thoughts are incoherent - all jumbley, like that time when he had the stomach flu and he couldn't think and sometimes everything went pink and green, and it's so hard to concentrate with all this mental stimuli._

_Aomine's words are good advice though, he muses; when you have to do something terrifying it's sometimes best to get it over with as quickly and painfully as possible - like ripping the Band-Aid off a wound or something._

"_Kise," Aomine's voice is low and his eyes are sloping down in his 'I'm going to beat you up just because I haven't slept a full fourteen hours today'-look, "If you don't tell me why you've woken me up at to just stare at me for ten minutes, I'm going to rearrange your face."_

_Kise nodds, takes a deep breath, and then pretends he's being interviewed for a teen-idol magazine, he digs deep into himself to get hold of his famed poise and relaxation - 'Dig deep Ryoucchi*,' he tells himself gamely. He's not cool, popular Kise Ryouta for nothing. He can face down Aominecchi and get this over with, no problem._

"_Aominecchi," he says, and he smiles, allowing his eyelashes to flutter at their provocative best, "I wanted to ask you out on a date."_

_There. He's said it._

_ He eyes Aomine with some trepidation and a hint of ever-present awe, wondering what reaction his words will heed. _

_In fact, reality is mightily eclipsed by all the rehearsing and mental preparation of various likely scenarios Kise has done for this moment, because Aomine doesn't a) gasp, b) punch him, or lovely option c) lean forward, tug his hair romantically, stare soulfully into his eyes and say, 'I feel the same way,' and then ravish him. His ex-teammate simply eyes Kise shrewdly for a few moments as if tallying up something in his head, sticks his finger in his ear and finally says, "Yeah, okay."_

_Anticlimactic._

"_Yeah?" Kise isn't quite sure if Aomine understands what he's asking. Maybe he doesn't think Kise means a date-date, maybe he thinks he just means hanging out as friends or something. He's too worked up to realise that he's convinced himself that asking Aomine out would be such an uphill battle, and that the fact that he's not been flat-out rejected is now almost disappointing. He'd been ready to fight for this, and he deflates when he realises that it might not be necessary. "I mean a date Aominecchi, as in an 'I-like-you-more-than-friends-date and I want to spend the day with you in that way'-date," he clarifies._

_Aomine doesn't react to this in any discernible way. "Yeah, I know," he grumbles, and then slouches against the doorway. His eyes dart sideways, the first sign of this being an out-of-the-ordinary event. "I don't know about dating guys," he mutters, scowling. "But Satsuki gave me a lecture - helluva lecture," he winces at the memory. "She said I had to be more open-minded about dating prospects and not only say yes to people with above C-size boobs. She told me I had to make a list of other things that are important to me and are compatible with my tastes," he recites this a bit like a fifth grader reciting a poem, half-exasperated, half-chastened. "You passed, so yeah, I'll go out with you." He looks slightly grouchy at this admission._

"_A list?" Kise knows he might be treading dangerous waters here, but he can't help but press on. "What's on the list?"_

_Aominecchi gives him his 'hungry-bear-that-hasn't-eaten-yet'-look (Kise has a list of names for all Aomine's looks - his favourite is 'the-sexy-panther-that-wants-to-pounce'-look; hungry-bear isn't on the same scale of sexiness at all.) But then Aomine relents anyway, yawning. "Big boobs is still number one on the list, but I tried to expand after that, so I added, 2 - likes basketball," he's ticking this off his fingers as if recounting a shopping list, "3 - Won't mind hanging out at the courts with me; 4 - can play basketball with me; 5 - can play basketball on the playstation; 6 - can cook." He sighs. "I don't know if you can cook so you only get a half point for that, but you scored 4 and a half out of seven, 'cause boobs still count for two points, so you pass. So I should say yes and go on a date with you," he says dutifully. _

_Then he decides to scratch his ear again. _

_Kise isn't dumb. He knows some part of him should be offended by being scored and measured like he's a sub par but decent steak and Aomine is a food critic, but instead he's torn between wanting to laugh and being joyful that Aominecchi has actually said yes._

"_Okay Aominecchi," he says simply, smothering the gleeful, exuberant chuckle he wants to let out, "Then how about Saturday?"_

* * *

***Interlude/Blog Entry 1 (by Kise Ryouta):

Hey there hot thing! ;D So you're reading my blog; the guide to successfully making unromantic, insensitive jerk-ass gorgeous bastards love you, huh? So, you probably have a crush on some gorgeous but grouchy guy with the romantic sense of a plank who's about as sensitive as a screw-driver. Well, I can help you! After having dealt with a jerk-ass bastard myself, I'm a bit of an expert, so I decided to write this blog to give others like myself courage. You can make that guy love you! My name is Kise Ryouta (yeah, you've probably heard of me), yeah, I've been on television and in lots of magazines and I just put out my third photo-book. I'm a model see, but even models with insane sporting skills sometimes fall in love with jerks who are unromantic and don't seem to notice they're alive most of the time.

They're everywhere, these jerky bastards, and what's so weird about them is that they're almost always compellingly attractive and ooze some kind of charisma that makes people love them. But oh-ho, they're not exactly great at spreading the love back in return.

The format of this guide is as follows: with every chapter I'm going to give you a tip to deal with the jerk-ass bastard in your life, and then I'm going to tell you some of my story.

I too, happily, have a jerk-ass bastard in my life, his name is Daikicchi*, (lol, he'll be so mad if he sees his nickname on my blog... damn, I hope he doesn't find out about my blog :O lol), and actually, we're doing great now. But it wasn't easy to get here.

Tip #1: You've got to really really like (read love) him before you even think of approaching this asshole guy romantically. Jerk-ass bastards (or JABs as I will now refer to them) are difficult as all get-out, and even saints will lose their patience with these guys. So you've got to be filled with a lot of love, because love is the only way you're going to conquer this strangely attractive heart-sore in your life.

I was a bit lucky - I was on the same basketball team as my JAB-boyfriend for two years, (he was the ace of the team, and the reason I started playing) so we had lots of reasons for hanging out together, and we were kind of friends. This does make it easier to romance your JAB, because he already knows he can't really push a friend away, or at least that it will be more difficult with someone he already knows. (So I guess that's another tip for you dear reader, find something you have in common with your JAB and form some sort of bond before you pursue everlasting happiness with this guy ;3)***

* * *

**Chapter One:**

**(The Momentous-first-date with Aomine Daiki)**

The truth is, despite the casualness of asking him out, Kise really likes Aominecchi. Really really really likes him.

What had started as devoted awe and admiration when he had met him in second year middle school had quickly blown into added appreciation for his body; quivering jelly-knees when the boy smirked and a delicious all-consuming urge to rub and taste the skin on his belly to see if it was as warm and caramel-ly as it looked. (Thankfully, Aominecchi, apparently unaware or uncaring that he was being hungrily eyed, had no problem flashing his belly at people - he liked to pick up his shirt and scratch his tummy often, sometimes even four or five times a day (not that Kise was counting or anything) and he wasn't at all shy and retiring in the locker room, he stripped off his clothes with uncaring aplomb whenever he was getting dressed.) Kise knew he himself was slow on the uptake occasionally, but in this instance, after weeks of staring at Aominecchi's tummy, he'd quickly identified what these feelings he was experiencing were - he was crushing, and it looked like this was a big crush.

These urges have not subsided in two years - even being in different high schools hadn't made Kise stop thinking of Aominecchi and his caramel belly - hell, his fantasies have evolved, he constantly fantasizes about Aominecchi having a belly piercing and he thinks that would just about be the hottest thing in the world, ever. The rest of his body is almost equally enticing, of course, Kise would also have been very satisfied to taste behind his ears, or trail his tongue down that defined collar-bone, or... (Getting a bit side tracked there, Ryoucchi*.)

He's finally been brave now and tracked his way to Aominecchi's house, boldly knocked on the door and asked him out - just like that, it's still kind of amazing to think about. It hasn't been so difficult after all (even if it hasn't exactly been storybook fairy tale shoujo-novel romantic) but now Kise really wants to plan a special first date. He knows he's not home free, Aomine only said yes because he's got some weird kind of rating system, and it would be best to impress if he wants a second date.

So of course he phones Momoicchi and Kurokocchi, two people who know Aominecchi better, and asks them what Aomine's ideal date should be like.

Their replies are eerily similar, almost word for word: "Play basketball with him, and then take him to a fast food restaurant and let him eat lots and lots of food. Lots of food. And then play basketball with him again." They both say this like it's some kind of spooky mantra, and for a few moments Kise wonders if Momoicchi and Kurokocchi are channeling each other like one of those weird freaky ESP-things. Though Kuroko says it in a polite, bland voice and Momoicchi adds, "Really Ki-chan, don't try to be romantic, that's the only thing that will work with Dai-chan: basketball and burgers, really. And pick him up late, he'll be sleeping in."

Kise, however, is not having any of this. He specifically asked them for ideas for something SPECIAL, and he knows enough about Aomine to know that basketball and burgers are part of his routine. It's not magical, or out-of-the-ordinary, or exciting, and Kise has to make an impression here. This date has to be memorable. It has to be different.

(He knows that normal date-like activities won't work on Aominecchi either; Aomine scoffs at fine cuisine because of the small portion sizes, and he falls asleep in movie theaters.)

He agonises about date venues all night and finally comes up with a plan.

"Aominecchi," he says as he greets his sleepy-looking date at his doorway at noon, "We're going to do whatever you want to do today. If you have a hobby, or something you haven't done in a long time but want to do, we'll do that. If you want to see something you've never seen, we'll do that. We can go bungee-jumping if Aominecchi wants adventure. I want Aominecchi to enjoy himself with whatever." Then he adds the clinker. "But not basketball."

The last sentence makes Aomine's eyes droop a little, but after eyeing Kise for a moment, he's grinning rather worryingly. (Aominecchi has a shark-like grin sometimes.) "Anything I want to do?"

"No sleeping," Kise adds hurriedly. Thankfully, Aomine smirks at that.

"And if I said I want to go to America to watch an NBA-match, and then go to South America to party with Brazilian babes, and then go to Thailand to dive, and..."

Kise holds out a hand to silence this ridiculous list. Aomine's eyes are playful and Kise can't help playing along. "My mother is expecting me at home by eleven. We'll have to do those on a later date Aominecchi. Besides, I'd have to do a few more modelling jobs before I can budget for that."

"Tsk, telling me I can do whatever I want and them restricting my options like that," he's still grinning a bit though, and Kise's heart is doing happy thumps. He was half-prepared for Aominecchi to be grumpy and uncooperative on their date; lamenting Kise's lack of boobs. But he seems game, at least, to banter, and Kise can definitely work with that.

"I'll rephrase," Kise says, smiling up at him a little flirtatiously (because yeah, he has to take it slow not to make Aominecchi as jumpy as a cat, but this is a date after all, and he is going to flirt and show his intentions, and he is going to give Aominecchi a chance to like him back dammit.) "We'll do anything you want that's within the Kanto-area, that doesn't involve basketball or sleeping, and means we'll be back by eleven."

"Anything?" Aomine repeats.

"Anything," Kise promises with another flirtatious droop of his eyelashes.

* * *

An hour later, while Aomine is scuttling about the woods, a feral look in his eyes, Kise wonders whether his date plan was wise. He's still not sure what they're doing there, Aomine refuses to say, but he's made the rather easy request of wanting to go to Shinjuku Gyoen**, the wooded park not too far from his house.

A few minutes after their arrival there, when a cackling Aomine deposits an enormous cicada down Kise's shirt, and the insect skitters all over his back with nasty claw-like legs he shrieks like a girl and wishes Aomine Daiki had never been born. (Then he wishes he himself had never been born, because it's his fool self who insisted that Aomine 'do something that he enjoys.')

It transpires that Aomine's favourite activity, besides playing basketball, sleeping, and reading soft porn, is catching cicadas - the large, nasty, scuttling insects that fill the Japanese summer-time with their drawn out chirping sounds. (Kise is not a fan.)

As the afternoon wears on and Aomine gleefully brandishes cicada after cicada (and Kise continually shrieks unman-fully), Kise can't help but wonder why the hell he has a crush on this, well, idiot.

But he also can't help smiling ruefully at the unbridled joy in Aomine's smile as he dashes off after hapless insects, and wondering whether he looked like this as a little boy.

And when the sun starts setting, and their stomachs start rumbling, they set the gross insects free and even Kise is spellbound for a moment as they fly away into a pretty sunset, making the odd chirping sounds they make; and he thinks of freedom and of summer and of childhood. Aomine turns that bright, carefree grin on him then, and Kise thinks that the torturous afternoon was absolutely worth it.

(And then he thinks, 'Oh shit, I've really got it bad.')

[That was the first date./ End of blog entry 1]

* * *

*In my head, Kise calls himself Ryoucchi, cause there's no way he wouldn't give himself an endearing nickname either (snerk) :D And naturally, Aomine will become Daikicchi* as he and Kise move onto more intimate terms.

**This is a real park in Tokyo, but I found it on wiki, so I have no idea if it's a good place to go cicada hunting.

* * *

Long A/N: So I haven't written anything remotely resembling fic in four years, and I'm nervous about posting this. Couldn't sleep last night so I wrote, and of course sleep-depraved brains don't make for good writing. It might not even make sense (as many of the things in my head at 3am are wont to do) but at least it's something, so I figure I should get over my block and post. I just threw in the 'Kise's blog'-concept at the last minute, I think maybe it makes the concept of the fic more legit? Maybe.

Also, I read somewhere that Aho-mine's hobbies are writing his own biography (bwahaha! Aomine, you silly conceited thing, definitely want to write a one-shot on that) and catching cicadas and crayfish (I think it's crayfish, anyway), hence the contents of chapter one ;) (Am also not into the portrayal of dumb blonde cry-baby Kise, I believe he can be quite shrewd and extremely determined (and that will hopefully come out later.))

Last thing, English isn't my first language so there might be a plethora of mistakes; my English is pretty decent but I wrote this first person present tense (or tried to), and I usually don't, so I suspect that might have thrown the tenses off and caused grammar mistakes - I never did study my grammar, lol. Also, I spell UK-style, but my spellchecker only wants to spell American style, so there might be a conflict somewhere :D

/End of ridiculously long A/N :D


	2. Chapter 2

**The Courting of Aomine Daiki**

**Disclaimer:** I sadly do not own Kuroko no Basuke, although I have some fiendish plans to take over possession of it somehow. Sadly it will then probably deteriorate into a badly written yaoi novel, so perhaps it will be good if my coup d'état doesn't succeed. At this moment, I do not own it, but check this space for updates on that. (Also, I forgot to put up a disclaimer last chap. Apologies.)

**Pointless A/N:** This was the most difficult chapter to write. I've actually written out most of the fic roughly already, but not chap 2. I just labelled it as 'relationship progression filler' and moved on to writing the next chapters. So here you go, have some 'relationship progression filler' =P

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**(The Kissing of Aomine Daiki)**

Their second date isn't planned.

It's a Saturday morning, and Kise is trying out his skateboarding skills, because he has to be able to skate for a new advertisement his agent wants him to try out for.

He's never skateboarded, but he's not particularly worried about that, he's never struggled with anything athletic. And skateboarding is pretty easy, Kise discovers; it's just about knowing how to balance your body. It's pretty fun flying down the road, dodging cyclists. People are staring - skateboards aren't all that common, and neither are blonde models with hair flying in the wind - but Kise doesn't care, he's grinning as he zooms down the street full-tilt. In fact, it's so much fun with the wind rushing past and his senses all focused on feet and balance and 'whoa, another cyclist I just narrowly avoided crashing into!' that he skates further than he initially planned to and ends up in the neighbourhood park.

And of course he promptly careens into a dustbin, has to veer off-course onto the grass to avoid falling on gravel and comes crashing into someone obliviously sleeping on the grass.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Kise gasps, and then quickly does an inventory check of his own body - yup, two arms, two legs, one head - he doesn't seem to have any injuries. "Really sorry."

"Sakurai?" It's Aominecchi's voice, leaden with sleep, and Kise realises he's sprawled over Aominecchi's abdomen, and yes, that over there is Aomine's head, and on the other side is Aomine's big feet. (It's only later that he thinks, 'I was lying on Aominecchi's caramel belly!' At the moment he's still a little too shell-shocked from the fall.)

Aomine's eyes open foggily and register the scene.

"Kise," he grunts.

"Aominecchi," Kise flashes his teeth. "Hi. What are you doing here?"

Aomine doesn't seem particularly slack-jawed by having woken up to Kise Ryouta crashing onto his stomach. Then again, he's probably fairly used to rude awakenings; Kise has personally seen Momoicchi kicking him awake at basketball practice.

"Hiding from Satsuki. She's on about studying for next term or something," he replies, blinking groggily. Then he sits up, and Kise rolls down from his stomach to his thighs as if he weighs nothing. He straightens up quickly too, and thinks that Aominecchi looks nice surrounded by grass.

Aomine yawns, blinks a few more times and then wipes the drool from his mouth.

"I'm hungry," he announces without preamble. "Let's go eat some burgers."

And somehow, fifteen minutes later Kise is seated next to Aominecchi in a restaurant and thinking that his horoscope must be very lucky today. (He's not all that sure if he really believes in that horoscope stuff, but two years of knowing Midorima have conditioned him into thinking that way.)

Okay yes, it's_ Maji Burger_ they're sitting in, and the lighting is fluorescent, and a bunch of elementary-schoolers are throwing spit-balls at each other at the next table, and Aomine is scarfing down burgers like a human vacuum cleaner, but there are some definite plus points.

They're sitting in a booth, for one, and their thighs are almost touching. It's driving Kise mad - he can feel the warmth and strength of Aominecchi's thigh millimeters away, and he has to keep his leg rigid so that it doesn't jerk. He can't help feeling thrilled, happy, nauseous feelings.

And the other plus point is Aominecchi himself. Halfway into his third teriyaki burger, he pauses in the act of inhaling his food for a moment and then pushes his french fries towards Kise. "Eat them," he orders brusquely. "I don't like fries."

Kise has already eaten two croquette wraps (and he paid for them himself) but the romantic in his brain squeees alarmingly because he happens to remember that Aominecchi does like fries.

And then the romantic feelings subside like a wave crashing down, because actually, Aominecchi has never been a stingy person. He always gave Momoicchi and Kurokocchi (and sometimes some of the other GoM-members, Kise included) ice lollies. He even gave Kagamicchi his shoes.

So he shouldn't be reading into left-over fries too much. All the same, he does eat them happily, low-carb modeling diet be damned. These are Aominecchi's fries, and they taste incredible, even though they're kind of cold, and manky, and Kise doesn't actually like fries.

"I'm thirsty," Aomine then says abruptly, and gets up and saunters to the counter. Kise eyes his calves and his strong back and his arms (Aominecchi is wearing shorts and a low-cut tank top) and then decides to check on his phone.

A big plastic container of pink milkshake is unceremoniously dumped in front of him a minute later, and Aomine slides back into his seat, sipping his own drink.

Kise stares at him.

"You like strawberry milkshake, right?" Aomine says boredly, scratches his hair and then continues to slurp at his own Coca Cola.

'Squeeeeee!' goes the romantic side of Kise's brain. 'Squeeeeeee!'

The calorie-counting model side of his brain says, 'That's over 800 calories, you're not allowed, you have a shoot Wednesday,' but luckily the romantic side's enthusiastic 'squeees!' drown out the words, and Kise enthusiastically matches his slurps to Aomine's.

Aominecchi actually grins. "You'll lose fan girls if you slurp like that."

"It hasn't put off your fan girls," Kise points out with a small smile.

"I don't have fan girls," Aomine says dismissively, and Kise thinks, 'Yeah, maybe not in the way I do, but...'

Aominecchi doesn't get girls lining up to give him candy and love letters and giggle at him from afar; he doesn't get girls who dream of romantic sunsets and chaste kisses and holding hands.

Aomine's 'fan girls' are far fewer than Kise's own, but they're there. (Of course Kise has taken note of them, it's hard not to notice those predatory eyes devouring the one you have your heart set on.)

The girls who like Aomine don't squeal and write love letters; they make whispered propositions, they wink at him lewdly and they make no secret of it that they want to jump him and screw his brains out. (Not that Kise can blame them, the boy is sex-on-legs.)

Kise gets cookies and love letters and a troupe of girls following him adoringly wherever he goes, yes, but Aomine gets **action.**

Kise doesn't like any of this, but it's not as though Aominecchi is a man-whore or anything. (Or if he is, he's really good at keeping it a secret.) In fact, he's never said anything about having sex to any of his friends. Kise knows that he's definitely had sex thanks to a girl at Teiko who'd told almost the entire school about what they'd done in the boys' locker room before the graduation ceremony, but Aominecchi himself has never said anything about it.

He's pretty sure more girls would have followed suit in high school. (And it's not like he's totally inexperienced himself.)

He slurps at the strawberry shake a little more despondently.

Then again, he's also pretty sure that Aominecchi hasn't bought those girls extra-large calorie-bursting beautifully frothy pink milkshakes either.

He brightens.

A conversation ensues about the coming year's basketball. Predictably, Aomine is sure that Touou's going to take the Inter-highs and the Winter Cup and the world and then probably dominate the universe, and Kise rolls his eyes and tells him to eat his words, because Kaijo will kick their asses, and then the topic shifts to Seirin, and whether they'll still be as strong without Kiyoshi Teppei in their line up, and Aomine says, "It doesn't matter, I'll kick their asses." Kise scoffs, Aomine throws a fry at him - all in all it's comfortable banter. It's become dusky outside, and the sky is streaked pink and it looks like there's a gorgeous sunset.

Finally Aomine gets up and stretches, showcasing a small square of taut caramelly ab as his shirt lifts, and Kise thinks he might have to start drinking caramel shakes instead of strawberry ones.

"I've got to go to Satsuki's house for dinner," he grumbles.

"I'll walk with you, my house is on the way there," Kise offers, and Aomine nods as if he'd already assumed as much.

Kise doesn't even question how Aomine can contemplate dinner after five teriyaki burgers, all he can think is, 'We're walking home together! Shoujo romance novel! Squeeee!'

As he follows Aominecchi's navy-blue head out of Maji burger and onto the street, the other, scheming part of his brain has taken over his thought processes.

'This is it,' the manipulative, do-or-die, win-at-all-costs part of Kise insists as Aomine gives him a small, lop-sided smirk and starts ambling down the street. 'This is your chance. You have to kiss him. Kiss him outside your house, with the sun setting behind you. You have to do it somehow!'

'But how?' Kise wonders, terrified and intrigued by the notion, as his feet hasten to catch up to Aominecchi on autopilot.

'Tell him there's something in his mouth that you have to remove with your tongue.' The sarcastic thought is jarring; sometimes that part of his brain is very rude, really.

Aomine is nattering on about Momoicchi, it seems, grumbling about how he has to attend dinner at 6pm sharp, and that it's such a pain, he wants to sleep, oh, are those limited edition Nike-shoes in that store window? Kise lets him ramble (he doesn't seem to need reciprocal conversation) and focuses on his own clenched up stomach and the thought that's chanting in his brain, 'Have to kiss him. Have to kiss him. Have to kiss him.'

The thought has so consumed his brain and his very being that he doesn't even notice that they're standing outside his own house until Aomine scratches his ear and says, "Okay, bye then."

It's do or die. Kise can't help himself; as the other boy turns away he flings his lips into the general vicinity of Aomine's head hastily.

His teeth rake against Aominecchi's nose, and he realises he's missed his lips completely.

"Ow," grumbles Aomine, surprised for a moment. He stares suspiciously. "What are you doing Kise?" But even as he says that, his eyes are tilting down knowledgeably, as if he's realised what that abortive attempt was.

'He knows. He knows that was a kiss-gone-wrong.'

"I'm biting your nose, can't you see?" Kise says haughtily, trying to save face. "It's the new version of saying 'Sayonara*'."

Honestly, he's embarrassed, and he kind of wishes he had Kuroko's magical powers of vanishing right about now, and he doesn't want to look at Aominecchi at all.

He hears a pleasant rumbling noise, and realises that Aominecchi's laughing at him.

'Great. Just great.' He turns around without looking at Aomine. "Night Aominecchi," he manages to make his voice sound bright and cheerful. "Have a good night. Say hi to Momoicchi for me." Then he strolls inside, head held high (even though he wants to break into a run.)

Once he's closed the door he presses his head against the wood. 'Why does love has to be so stupid?' He takes a few deep breaths, and feels a bit calmer, and then his phone beeps with a text message.

It's from Aomine.

**'For future reference, I like to be kissed on the lips. Also, less teeth.**'

Kise smiles, and suddenly feels hope.

* * *

_One week later_

It's in the middle of a photo shoot (on break) that he gets a message alert on his phone.

Kise's kind of miffed that his end-of-freshman-year summer schedule is so chock-a-block full of modeling work; he rarely gets the chance to sleep in or just hang out with his friends. In fact, he's been so busy that he's barely spared a thought for Aominecchi in the week since their second date. (Well, he has had a fantastic dream involving Aomine's caramel belly - in the dream he was very small and somehow he was surfing down waves of caramel, and it turned out to be Aomine's abs, such a nice dream - and he has thought of texting him many times, but his busy schedule has kept him from doing that.)

So when he picks up the phone in the studio and it reads - 5 messages, and they're all from 'Aominecchi', he grins.

**14:31_ Sender Aominecchi_ - Yo Kise. One-on-one? - says the first one.**

He scrolls down.

**14:33 _Sender Aominecchi_ - I'm hungry. I want to eat and then play.**

**14:34 _Sender Aominecchi_ - I want to play Playstation. You coming over?**

**14:36 _Sender Aominecchi_ - What are you doing?**

**14:38 _Sender Aominecchi_ - I'm going to Maji-burger.**

Is this his form of an invitation to hang out, or maybe a date? He's obviously bored, that much is certain.

Kise grins to himself, and his heart does another pathetic flutter. If he could, he would dash out of the studio right now just to watch Aominecchi wolf down burgers, but of course he can't. He's a professional, he has to finish the shoot.

One of the photographers on set has ambled closer, swigging a bottle of water.

"Texting your boyfriend?" the guys says. "Or girlfriend?"

Kise smiles professionally. He's had coaching on dealing with members of the public or the press from his agent - and he knows not to divulge anything. "Why would you say that, photographer-san?"

The guy leers. "The look on your face. That's the look people have on their face when they get a text from someone they're in love with."

Kise can't help it, he feels his ears warm up. (He rarely blushes, but he can feel even his cheeks heating up now.)

"I don't have a boyfriend. Or girlfriend," he says levelly.

"A boy then, huh? Not a boyfriend yet. But you like him," the photographer says slyly, grinning.

Kise ducks his head in a parody of sweet modesty. "It's not your business, photographer-san." He smiles winningly as he says this, to show that he's not being rude.

The photographer nods amiably, winks, and then wanders off, and Kise gets back to the business of texting Aominecchi.

**15:02 - Aominecchi =D! Are you at Maji-burger?**

Seconds later there's a reply.

**15:02 _ Sender Aominecchi_ - Yeah. Where r u?**

**15:03 - Photo-shoot ;3 What are you eating?**

It takes a while for the next reply, and Kise sips mineral water while eyeing the phone.

**15:06 _ Sender Aominecchi_ - When u done? Teriyaki burgers, duh.**

**15:07 - Probably another hour or two.**

Kise takes a deep breath and types, '**I can bring some take-out to your house and we can play Playstation there after I'm done if you want.**'

Another long pause, and Kise can't help holding thumbs; he wants to kiss Aominecchi properly this time, maybe that can happen tonight.

**15:10 _ Sender Aominecchi_ - Yeah, okay. What time?**

Yes! He pumps his fist happily.

"Back to your places everyone!" the head photographer barks. "Break over!"

**15:10 -** (Kise types fast.) **Got to run, c u at 7.**

Then he adds a heart-emoticon - perhaps it seems innocuous, but just that little heart is so evocative of wearing his heart on his sleeve, and what he's really feeling, and he wonders if he shouldn't erase it, and...

"Kise-kun! Take your place!" yells the photographer.

He presses the send-button and runs.

* * *

The shoot wraps up in two hours, and Kise leaves as quickly as feasibly possible; pops into a takoyaki*-stall on the way, orders three full boxes and then heads to Aominecchi's apartment with the warm treats nestled under his arm.

Aominecchi opens the door without fanfare (he looks nice though, he's wearing white, which always emphasises his tanned good looks); brightens when he sees the takoyaki (if Kise were less of a positive person, the neutral look on Aomine's face when seeing him versus the way his face transforms when he spies the takoyaki would hurt his feelings) and motions to the couch. They make themselves at home in front of the television, dig into the squid balls with gusto and then Kise proceeds to absolutely **demolish **Aominecchi playing an NBA-game on the Playstation.

In fact, it's all boringly comfortable until Aominecchi tires of losing (for the moment) and switches over to television, where there's a drama movie on.

They watch it for a while in silence, or at least, Kise watches it. Aomine, he has become increasingly aware, has been staring at him, or what feels like his left ear for a while.

Kise's good at sensing when others are staring at him - he pretends to be oblivious to it most of the time, because, well, people do stare at him a lot - but he's always right when he thinks he feels someone staring. It's a bit like a magic power, he can feel anyone's gaze on him - it feels a bit like the stares warm up a part of his skin - and right now, Aominecchi's gaze is setting his ear on fire.

He finally stops looking at the television and swivels his gaze to Aomine's. Caught red-handed. Aomine's unapologetic eyes are fixed right on his. He doesn't even bother to look embarrassed.

"What is it, Aominecchi?" Kise enquires.

"After you bit my nose," (Kise cringes) "I've been thinking what kissing you would feel like." Aomine says bluntly. "So we should try it, see if we like it."

Kise's throat feels a little dry, and he wants to tell Aomine that he's not going to succumb to his every whim, and he wants to be willful and strong and play hard-to-get, but all his traitorous mouth manages is, "Okay Aominecchi."

He turns to Aomine a little self-consciously. Aomine stares at him, and Kise stares back. The seconds tick by, and Kise's heart thumps hard, and he moves a little closer. Aomine glances down at his mouth for a moment, and he moves a little closer. Kise tilts his head. They stare at each other again. More seconds tick by.

Then Aominecchi's shoulders start shaking, and then he's sniggering, and _that_ turns into loud peals of laughter.

Kise's stare is harder now; in fact it has morphed into a glare. He fails to see anything funny about _not_ kissing.

Aomine's trying to stop laughing, at least, resulting in snorts and more shoulder shaking.

"Sorry Ryou, I just felt like we were in a teen girl coming-of-age movie," he manages in between wheezes, "The lame kind Satsuki loves to watch but pretends she doesn't," and then he relapses into laughter again.

Kise's glare softens, because hey, that's almost an apology, and hey, he used the nickname 'Ryou' (Kise loves it when Aomine calls him Ryou, but it doesn't happen often) and because Aominecchi always laughs at the wrong moments, and it's partly what makes him so awesome.

He eyes the sniggering, snorting, shaking object of his affections for a moment. And then he leans forward, quickly cups Aomine's chin with his hand, presses his mouth firmly against the laughing one, and kisses him hard.

...That shuts him up.

* * *

-***Interlude/Blog entry 2

First kisses. They're difficult. And awesome :D And they're extra specially tricky if you're trying to kiss a JAB (Jerk-Ass-Bastard, remember?)

Kise Ryouta here again my gorgeous readers, and this is my second blog entry. (I feel so accomplished :D)

I'll let you in on a little secret, once you've managed to get the kissing down, JABs are fantastic kissers. Well, Daikicchi is anyhow, kissing him is like nothing I've ever felt on this earth. And making out and the stuff that comes with that is better than basketball.

Basically, what I'm saying is: persist with your JAB, no matter how difficult and discouraging it is to romance him, because it's worth it!

My tip for this blog entry is: #2 JABs are not romantic. So take note of the small gestures and hints they deign to show you. Also (and this is kind of contradictory) don't always read into the hints too much. Your JAB might be smiling in your direction, and you might think he's totally smiling at you and he's totally into you, but it turns out that he's grinning at the plastic hippopotamus someone stuck on your head. Or something. You know.

In short, never take your JAB for granted and assume that you've reeled him - your big fish - in for now (because he probably will trample and stomp and perform slam dunks on your heart - don't be complacent!) But also DO notice the small things, like the rude text message he sends you or the cold left-over fries he gives you, because these things are the JAB-equivalent of red roses and surprise vacations in Italy.

And it's still worth it.***-

* * *

**_[Story notes:_**

I know nothing of skateboarding. No-thing. So sorry if I described the mechanisms of skateboarding wrongly.

I don't know if Kise likes strawberry milkshake, but now he does. Aomine does like teriyaki burgers, I did my research :D Also, regarding Aomine's eating habits: I like to think that he eats a _lot_, but he's not quite on Kagami's level.

_xBits_ pointed out that Kise would not call himself Ryoucchi, as he only adds -cchi to those he respects. Very valid point. I'm going to keep it as it is for the moment, but I'll try to cut back on the 'Ryoucchi's' from now on.

For the purpose of this fic, Kise, Aomine and Momoi's houses are in the same neighbourhood, fairly close to each other, so in summer when Kise comes back from Kaijo (which is apparently in Kanagawa) they're all fairly close together. (It's plausible, they did attend the same school after all.) Also, Aomine lives alone in this fic, because I'm lazy and it's easier to work with that :D.

...And GoM+Kagami will make their entrance soon :D ]

**Important**, Kise will probably be replying to blog comments in the epilogue (which should be chapter six.) So I might be using some of your comments for that, beware. And thanks muchly for reviews, follows and favs :)

* * *

*_Sayonara_, of course, means goodbye. I'm sure everyone knows that, but just being thorough. And takoyaki* is fried squid balls covered in some sort of sauce, or something like that, haven't had it myself, have only seen it in various animes. (Sounds yummy, I'm a seafood-nut.)


End file.
